A Tribute to Maria

Today I decided to write a thank to someone who makes my life as a mother much more enjoyable, tolerable and gives me moments to get out of the house, or just close my bedroom door and close my eyes, or read my book, and take time away from my beloveds.

We have been through a rough year, involving four moves, the first of which was an immigration back to South Africa, with no job prospects, a twenty hour drive, and a two month old baby.  Unfortunately we couldn't realise our dream, of re energising our beautiful small farm in the Magaliesberg, and turning it into a self sustaining, peaceful, natural place to live.  My fiance and I went through alot, and the turning point came when Natalie got a gastro and was so dehydrated at four months that she had to go into hospital.  In South Africa.  And my fiance hadn't organised medical aid yet.  Which scared me to the very core.  Luckily a guardian angel in the form of my mum had'nt cancelled the medical aid I had had in Namibia for Natty and myself.  But we turned our dreams around and came back to Windhoek, where Hennie could at least get a decent job.

And now after six months we are moving again, to Swakopmund, with the two little ones.  Anyone who has ever moved around with small children, and all the admin and labour and stress involved, knows that this takes a tremendous tole on the whole family.  Which brings me to Maria.

Maria is our housekeeper.  She is gentle, proud dignified, and great with the girls.  She is twenty six and we give a very good salary because she is so valuable to us.  She has never asked me for anything, and she gives me the chance to try to heal from this difficult year, which in turn helps Ashlee and Natalie because mummy has time away from them, which allows her to miss them.  I try to treat Maria with as much respect as possible.  i stack and unpack the dishwasher every day before she arrives, I do try to keep the house clean and neat as I can so that she feels some dignity in her job, which is is an esteemed one, as I trust her with my children.  And in the continent called Africa, extreme, incongruous Africa, where we have unbelievably harsh real spectacular beauty and pain, its one of the true assets, that there are people like Maria who in a country where the unemployment rate for women is 70%, we can have a mutual beneficial relationship, gratitude...

thank you Maria.